


No Pets Allowed

by TheSadisticMunchkin



Series: 30 Days of Hamburr Challenge [29]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: !!!, 30 Days of Hamburr, 30 Days of Writing, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Just Add Kittens, Kittens, Light Ansgt, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Prequel, Pretentious rich school, The Heirs - Freeform, They don't even interact here tbh but the relationship is implied afterwards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 08:35:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6746854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSadisticMunchkin/pseuds/TheSadisticMunchkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Alex, I don’t know why you’re-- Oh my god.” She knelt down next to Alex as he took a small black and white kitten in his hands. Eliza felt that the whole world didn’t matter as the little kitten meowed in her direction. “Oh my god it’s a baby cat.”</p><p>Day 29 of the 30 Days of Hamburr Self-Induced Challenge of 2016</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Pets Allowed

**Author's Note:**

> Ok the summary made it sound like it was Eliza/Alex instead of Aaron/Alex but meh
> 
> Anyway, y’all said you wanted to read more from my The Heirs AU so I decided to make AU 29 a little snippet into it because there is no other way for me to live. This is basically a prequel to that fic. It can be part of that fic or not. I don't know. I haven't decided yet if it will be considered a part of that universe completely.
> 
> So this is before Aaron and Alex met. They were already connected yet they didn't know it. Like Choi Young Do said "Our first meeting was way earlier than it was in my memory." they met in the way that they both loved kittens and hated leaving kittens alone. Way before Alex was outed as New Money and squished himself in that cupboard.
> 
> Anyway, this is dedicated to ragingdrumboner!

It was raining again.

  


Eliza was actually right in giving him an umbrella before he left work. If she hadn’t, he would have been soaked to the bone right now. Did it really matter, though? His home didn’t have a heater. The Jeffersons provided him with a small apartment in Brooklyn and paid for a public all-boys school for him to attend to. They didn’t exactly want to pay for luxuries (or necessities in Alex’s case) for him. Why would they? He still had to pay the other half of the rent. His father didn’t mention  _ that  _ part of the deal.

  


He decided to stop by the convenience store on his way back. The convenience store was actually pretty far away from where he lived but he never minded walking long distances. It’s not like he had enough money to use public transportation every day. He would also be able to wait for the rain to let up while he was there so that was a plus. Once he got to the convenience store, he left his open umbrella near the door. 

  


“Good afternoon, Mr. Franklin!” He called to the manager of the store and the old man waved at him with a smile. He headed straight for the drinks at the back and was careful not to be tempted by the aisles of other food and candies he passed by. He could indulge himself in a cold bottle of Pepsi today. The voice in his head that sounded strangely like Eliza told him that he deserved it today for working so hard. 

  


“Alexander, could you do me a favor?” Mr. Franklin came up to him with a bowl of milk in his hands, which really should have surprised him but Mr. Franklin has done weirder things than that. “There is a box outside the door of the store. Would you be kind enough to place this bowl inside of it? The Pepsi will be on the house if you do so.” Alex stared at the cold bottle of Pepsi in his hand and at the warm bowl of milk in Mr. Franklin’s hands and he smiled.

  


“It’s alright, Mr. Franklin. I’ll still pay for my drink.” He gave the money to Mr. Franklin before taking the bowl. “It’s the least I could do for you. You always let me sleep outside.” 

  


“You should really stop sleeping at the table outside, do you know how many people could kidnap you?”

  


“Ah, but they haven’t yet! That just goes to show that you look after me.” Mr. Franklin gave him a warm smile before he gently pushed him out of the store. Alexander laughed at Mr. Franklin as he approached the little box that was surprisingly underneath his umbrella. A collection of desolate meows rang in Alexander’s ears as he got closer to the box. His heart was pounding as he opened it slowly. 

  


His heart might have just stopped entirely when the contents of the box held 8 very wet and very scared little kittens. They all looked up at him in unison and meowed at him. Alexander was just about to faint because they sounded so  _ tiny  _ and desperate. Alexander has never felt this much warmth in years. A certain kitten attempted to climb up the box to get to him but its claws were too small to latch onto anything. Alexander was immediately smitten by its determination and decided to end its torment by gently pulling it out. 

  


“Hey there, buddy.” He cooed and the kitten let out a tiny meow that melted Alex’s heart. He placed the bowl of warm milk inside the box and the rest of the kittens crowded around it as soon as it hit the bottom. The kitten in his arms decided not to move for a few more seconds before it too got a little thirsty and jumped out of Alex’s arms. The minuscule sounds of the kittens slurping up the milk were relaxing and Alex really could have stayed there all day if he was allowed to.

  


Unfortunately, the rain clouds cleared up and the sun was setting on the horizon. He knew he had to make it back home before it got dark. Who was going to take care of the kittens when he’s gone? There was Mr. Franklin but the bowl of warm milk could have just been a simple sentiment. There was no way for Mr. Franklin to properly take care of them when he had his own store to run. Also, his apartment didn’t allow pets.

  


With a reluctant sigh and one last glance at the kittens slurping happily at their milk, Alex stood up and walked away.

  


He could get his umbrella back tomorrow morning.

* * *

The next morning, Alexander woke up bright and early to get his umbrella from the store. The weather forecast told him that it was going to rain hard today and the previous night, there was a thunderstorm after the sun went down. He couldn’t help but think of the kittens he left near the store as he put on his shoes for school. Did his umbrella fly off to leave the poor, defenseless kittens to fend for themselves? Have they been whisked away and trapped underneath their box with no one around to help?

  


Alexander dressed quicker than he ever has in his life. By 7 am, he was already out of breath just a few blocks away from the convenience store. He really needed to put jogging and exercising into his already crammed schedule. He couldn’t be out of breath all the time if he was going to survive in New York. Sometimes he wondered why he even left Nevis in the first place but the quick image of his father in his mind stopped the questioning immediately.

  


Besides, this was for his mother. And the kittens. 

  


Speaking of, once Alexander had his strength back, he started a brisk walk towards the door of the convenience store. He was surprised to see his umbrella not only there but also folded properly and left right next to the box of sleeping kittens. On top of his umbrella was a carefully placed sticky note. How did that stay on the whole night during the thunderstorm? He didn’t dwell on it any further because his kittens were safe and that’s all that matters.

  


He knew he had to leave again so he wouldn’t be late for school so he whispered a soft reassurance into the box before picking up his umbrella and leaving. He completely forgot about the sticky note up until a small gust of wind flicked it away before he could catch it. He decided that there was probably nothing of importance written on it. Besides, it could have been a letter of gratitude from Mr. Franklin. He’s got a lot of that back at home.

  


He didn’t notice a boy a few years his senior leave a fresh new bowl of milk in the box.

* * *

He hated this school.

  


The people discriminated by money and it was so unfortunate that Alexander had none of that. He had an allowance but he still had to make ends meet by working 3 part time jobs and he would be able to add a fourth if he fucking hated himself. He didn’t even have a uniform yet. What kind of uniform cost almost a thousand dollars? With a thousand dollars, he could buy a whole lot of chicken nuggets or maybe pay the electricity bill on time.

  


“How’s your first day of school,  _ New Money?”  _ Eliza walked up to him at his locker and he gave her a half-hearted glare. The day was over and he was really just looking forward to seeing his cats. Well, they weren’t  _ his  _ per se but they may as well be his with how much he takes care of them. “You sure that was a good idea, Alex? Telling people that you were New Money instead of a Social Welfare student?” Her voice was soft and concerning which was, quite frankly, the last straw.

  


“Do you have any better ideas, Ms. Schuyler? I’d be  _ glad _ to hear it.” He slammed his locker a little too hard and he felt a little guilty at the wince from Eliza. “It’s not like I had any other choice, Eliza. You’ve been in this school longer than I have.” He couldn’t help the bitterness seeping into his tone but Eliza didn’t seem to take offense at it. Instead, she looped her arm around his as he walked out and squeezed it reassuringly. 

  


“I’m sorry. I just… there will be consequences for this, you know?”

  


“I know.”

  


“Are you willing to handle it?”

  


A beat of silence passed before Alex responded, his voice small and unsure.

  


“I don’t know.”

  


“Isn’t your house  _ that  _ way?” Eliza noticed this as Alexander took the second intersection instead of walking straight ahead. Alex nodded his head but he kept going. “Where are we going?”

  


“The convenience store. I have to check on something.” Without another protest, Eliza allowed Alexander to pull her towards the local convenience store. When they got there, a new umbrella sat next to a small box by the door. Eliza wasn’t quite sure what the big deal was but judging by the look on Alexander’s face, this was a pretty big deal to him. She started to ask him what was wrong but he was already by the box before she could get anything out.

  


“Alex, I don’t know why you’re-- Oh my god.” She knelt down next to Alex as he took a small black and white kitten in his hands. Eliza felt that the whole world didn’t matter as the little kitten meowed in her direction. “Oh my god it’s a baby cat.” She whispered and Alex could only laugh at Eliza’s awestruck face.

  


“Would you like to hold him?” Eliza only nodded enthusiastically at that as if there was ever going to be a different answer to that question. She sat cross-legged as Alex handed him the kitten and she never felt so happy in her life. Playing the piano was a close second now. “His name is Philip.”

  


“Philip,” She whispered with all the fondness in the world. She felt as if she was holding her first born son. “Hi Philip, I’m Eliza.” 

  


He meowed in response which only made Eliza fall in love with the kitten even harder.

  


“Holy shit, Alex, can I keep him?” Her voice was higher than normal which proved to Alex that Eliza wasn’t joking. The more Eliza held Philip, the more she fell and Alex could see it in her eyes. Honestly, if there was anybody who would be able to take care of at least one of the kittens here, it would be Eliza Schuyler. “I swear I’ll take care of him and feed him every day.” She was starting to sound like a 5-year-old kid which only made Alex chuckle.

  


“Would you like the rest of his brothers and sisters while you’re at it?” Alex knew it was a long shot but it was always worth the try. Despite her better judgment, Eliza peeked into the box and absolutely melted at the sight of the rest of the kittens. However, Philip seemed to be the only one she was willing to adopt. He couldn’t blame her. Philip was the cutest one there. He was also the troublemaker but Eliza didn’t need to know that.

  


“I think I’ll stick with only Philip.” She got into a more comfortable position and gave Alex an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.” 

  


“Yeah no, it’s cool. I just thought I’d give it a try.” Alex couldn’t help sounding so disappointed but what can you do? Ever since he fed these little guys milk on a rainy day, all his priorities were shifted back. Mr. Franklin was busier than ever and he didn’t have time to provide him food for the cats. He set aside a food fund for the kittens in his sock drawer and if he was lucky enough, he would bring one home to sleep with him.

  


He couldn’t bring all 8 of them to the apartment. 8 kittens were almost equivalent to having 8 children. They required attention, sustenance, and sometimes a few of his fingers to bite on. “Is there no one else you know who would want a kitten?” 

  


“Eliza, I have no other friends but you.”

  


“Oh.”

  


He knew she was just trying to help but honestly he just wanted to help the  _ kittens  _ as much as he can. He had a purpose now. His mother was dead, his father wasn’t answering his calls, and he had no money for a school uniform. If he could help his kittens and take care of them until they could go on their own, that was fine by him. Someone here had to make it out of their shitty situation and it certainly wasn’t going to be him.

  


“Come on, E.” He held his hand out for Eliza until they were both standing up. “Let’s go get Philip settled in his new home.”

* * *

Another umbrella was there that was  _ definitely  _ not his.

  


For the past few days, he was trying to get enough money to buy his uniform so he wasn’t able to visit his kittens as often as he liked. Where he used to check up on them before he went to work, he would just pass by the store after work. Before school, he would feed them but his projects and homework that were done late into the night had him waking up later than usual. He hoped the kittens wouldn’t be mad at him. He worked so hard to keep them safe every day.

  


Yet when he got there, he  _ swore  _ he left an umbrella there for them like he did every night. At least, he knew he left an open umbrella next to the box and not the one closed and folded neatly underneath it. But he recognized the pattern and the color scheme. That was his umbrella. The bright yellow one above it wasn’t his. Yet, he’s seen this umbrella before. He just couldn’t quite place his finger on it. 

  


“Alexander! There you are, dear boy.” Mr. Franklin came out of the store with a bright smile and Alexander couldn’t help but smile back. “The kittens have missed you. If I could adopt them myself, I would but thank god I have you boys to take care of them while you still can. I really can’t thank you enough--” Wait a minute, did he just say,  _ boys?  _ From what he knew, Alexander was the only one who took care of the kittens. No one else cared for them except for Eliza the day she adopted Philip.

  


“Mr. Franklin, has someone else been taking care of the kittens other than me?” 

  


The astonished expression on Mr. Franklin’s face was his response which worried Alexander to no end. Who else could be here to be with the kittens? “Are you not friends with the kind boy who also stops by here? Don’t you go to the same school? The one that you transferred to?” 

  


“How do you know I changed schools?” Alexander absentmindedly stroked the fur of one of the kittens.

  


“You’re not wearing a uniform. You only come here during the day, where you  _ should  _  be wearing a uniform. The other one comes at night. God, what was his name again?” As Mr. Franklin tried to remember the other boy’s name, everything else started to make sense to Alex. He never comes here at night so that was the most vulnerable point where the kittens could be snatched up or killed. Someone would have to be here to keep an eye on them for a couple of hours.

  


The question was  _ who  _ was it?

  


It certainly wasn’t Mr. Franklin, what with his store and all. He said the other one was from his school but honestly, Alex doesn’t have a lot of friends yet. He wouldn’t know who would do such a thing. Besides, all his classmates were rich, pretentious, stuck-up assholes who wouldn’t give a shit about 7 kittens in a box near the convenience store. Then again, there were some of the social welfare students but he learned from an anonymous source that if the weak helped the weak, they are just as weak.

  


Alex didn’t want to be seen as weak now that he had a chance to rise above his station. Still, it granted him very few options as to who would protect the kittens. “I forgot his name but he’s a nice fellow. He’s a senior at your school, captain of the cheerleading squad. I’m hoping you could remember who?” Alex never even considered the cheerleading squad. He never stuck around long enough to be part of any clubs or varsity teams.

  


“Well, if he’s at my school, I’ll be sure to find him. If you see him tonight, please thank him for me.” 

  


“Of course, Alexander.”

  


Without taking his umbrella, he stood up and headed straight to school, his mind still on the mystery boy who takes care of his cats.

* * *

The convenience store was just around the corner and he decided to stop by to get his umbrella back. For the past week, he was walking in the rain without one. He was going to catch a cold and miss practices if he didn’t get it back this time. He hoped the other boy who took care of the kittens at the store would be there but Mr. Franklin did say that he never came at this hour. He couldn’t blame him, it was pretty late.

  


He removed his earphones just as he saw the convenience store in sight. He couldn’t help the smile that graced his lips as he got closer to the box of kittens. They were the highlight of his day. They were named accordingly but he never bothered to remember them. He would change the way he called them every day. “Hey there, guys.” He whispered affectionately at the 7 little kittens that practically scratched their way out of the box to get to him.

  


“I missed you too.” he laughed softly as he cradled four of them in his arms and the other three on his shoulders and head. “I have to get my umbrella today. It’ll be raining again tomorrow, I promise to bring another umbrella just for you guys.” He was sure they understood him now as they simultaneously rubbed their cheeks on his skin. The affectionate rubbing made him a little sad for nothing could make him happier than to just adopt all of them.

  


Yet he knew he couldn’t do that. As much as he would enjoy having all of them in his home, it would be quite a handful. He got tired taking care of them here, what more if there were 7 furballs running around his room. His furniture would be thrown out in a week. He heard that one of the kittens, the black one with white patches on its eyes, was adopted by one of his schoolmates and he made it his mission to find out who it was just to see that kitten again.

  


He wasn’t obsessed. He just really loved cats.

  


The door of the convenience store opened just as he was about to stand up and the kindly old man who owned the store smiled down at him. Mr. Franklin crouched down and took one of the kittens he was still holding in his arms. “You sure you don’t want to take one of them? I’m sure you and that other boy could find more people to take them in. It breaks my heart to see them always here just shaking in the rain.”

  


“As much as I want to, my sister hates cats.” He placed the brown and white kitten on his head back into the box just as he grabbed his umbrella. “Why can’t the other boy take one of them?”

  


“His apartment doesn’t allow pets.”

  


“Ah, I see.” He nodded in understanding before he stood back up. “Well, I best be going. I have an art assignment I have to be finishing tonight. That painting isn’t going to paint itself.” He spared another longing look at the kittens before he bid Mr. Franklin goodbye. “Oh! Before I forget,” He handed Mr. Franklin a few dollars to pay for the food and milk of the kittens. “I hope this is enough.”

  


“Oh, dear boy, it’s more than enough!” He pocketed the money with the promise that he will buy the cat food bright and early tomorrow. “By the way, you never gave me your name. The other fellow didn’t seem to know you either.”

  


The boy gave him a dazzling smile. 

  


“Aaron Burr, sir.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos, y'all! Tomorrow is the last day so I hope you're ready :)


End file.
